The trial of artist Artem Loskutov for insulting police officers postponed until 5 October

Following a nearly three-month break the trial of Artem Loskutov, organizer of youth actions known as “Monstrations”, was scheduled to resume on 29 September 2011 at magistrates court No. 1 of the Central District of Novosibirsk.

“My lawyer has fallen ill, so the hearing has had to be postponed,” Artem Loskutov told Agora Human Rights Association. “But because of the court's heavy workload, the trial has been postponed until 5 October."

Artem Loskutov is charged with insulting police officers under Article 319 of the Russian Criminal Code. At the first hearing on 8 June Loskutov had declared that “the meaning of the charges was not clear to him” and he “did not consider himself guilty,” the Open Information Agency correspondent said.

The charge against the civil rights activist states that on 26 September 2010, after “refusing to obey the lawful demands of police officers...he used vulgar and offensive language” in addressing officers Vladimir Sosunov, Roman Dorodnykh, Nikolai Gladkikh and Ivan Moiseev. According to the prosecution, Loskutov thereby committed the crime of “publicly insulting a representative of the state in the course of carrying out their duties.” Loskutov is further accused of having insulted Aleksandr Muzalev, a police colonel, on 3 November 2010 by allegedly publishing on the Internet an article entitled “My night in detention,” together with a photograph of Muzalev and offensive references to the latter.